Author Notes:Most people know BBQ sauce to be the tomato or ketchup versions of Texas or Kansas City, the dry rub with mop of Memphis, or the vinegar versions of Eastern North Carolina. But there is another version in South Carolina that originated with the Germans that settled in Central South Carolina and brought their love of mustard to the traditions of low and slow smoking of PORK. This tradition of mustard BBQ sauces has been made famous by some great BBQ joints like Shealy's, Sweatman's, Hite's, Lever's (now defunct, but still selling sauce) and the most famous ... and not the best BBQ, Maurice's Piggie Park. The sauce can be used on chicken, ribs, hash (a SC tradition) but is best with pulled pork. —Bubba Mac

Food52 Review: WHO: Bubba Mac is a new Food52er! (Where have you and your sauces been all along?)
WHAT: Your new grilling condiment, with a serious kick.
HOW: Are you ready for this? Sauté, whisk, simmer. Boom.
WHY WE LOVE IT: You probably have everything you need for this sauce, just waiting in your fridge. Combine the powers of all of them, and you're left with a glorious thing -- a tangy, spicy sauce that is much more than the sum of its parts. —The Editors

Makes: about a cup of sauce

1
tablespoon olive oil or vegetable oil

1/4
cup minced onion

3
cloves garlic, minced

1
cup yellow ballpark-style mustard, like French's

1
teaspoon dry mustard

1/4
cup ketchup

2
tablespoons sugar

1
teaspoon chili powder

1
tablespoon Worcestershire sauce

1
tablespoon freshly ground pepper

1
tablespoon red pepper flakes

3/4
cup water

Sauté onions and garlic in olive oil on low heat until soft and transparent.

Thanks for the recipe, Mac. However, as a chef and former resident of South Carolina, I came up with a very similar recipe. For a variation, I suggest adding beer and just a touch, a bare touch! of apple cider vinegar. this does not make it a 'vinegar base' sauce. It just gives it a little extra oomf. And of course the beer has to be a good beer. The best I've tried so far with my sauces is a rich porter like Sierra Nevada or even a stout like Guinness. And i like to put a bottle of the same beer in with the pork as its cooking (i use my slow cooker for now, since i am in the process of building a proper smoker), also with a touch of apple cider vinegar.... mmm mmm good. And still very German. ;)

Mike: I smoke my pork butt with minimal seasoning, letting the smoke and the pork (fat) do all the work. I season with salt and fresh ground black pepper to create a crusty bark....After 12 hours or so in the smoker, I pull the pork and add a sprinkling of cider vinegar. I then will mix about half of the pork with Giddy Swamp, say about half a cup and leave the other just pork. The rest of the sauce is served on the side. My feeling is you want the sauce to complement the pork, not the other way around. Happy smoking. B M

I'm going to be making some pulled pork, but I want to try something a little different. I've made a Carolina sauce before, but I usually use the East Carolina vinegar base for my pulled pork. I'm just curious if I should use a rub on the pork ahead of time if I'm planning on using this sauce.

I actually have tried Maille...when I ran out of French's ...and the flavor is too subtle...you need the bite of the american mustard...not the winey flavor of a european mustard. But I am approaching the problem as an historian....recreating a taste that I grew up with. Not a culinary variation on a theme. As for syrup...I am a huge fan of sorghum and molasses....use them whenever I can. To me, the OOMPH of the sauce is the bite of the "yeller" mustard, but anything is game. Did you try the giddy swamp hash recipe?

Now I want to try an experiment - What do you think would happen if we changed the mustard from French's to something like MAILLE or AMORA - I am wondering how it might change the taste? - - and if we changed the sugar to one of those newly produced Southern Sorgum Syrup - Be an interesting try!

You have been reading up on your BBQ history....here is a link to the SC BBQ Association web site which talks more about the different styles and the people that brought those styles to the state....I know there are many stories of food and culture, but I think this type of "country cooking" is closest to the bone of people and tradition...in a sense it is "first generation" I grew up with this stuff real time...it wasn't until years later, when I started to investigate the origins that I discovered its origins. Read em and salivate!

How very interesting! - I actually took a graduate level geography class quite some years ago and a portion of the class covered "a geography of BBQ" - in SC = We actually drove up highway 76 from Columbia to Greenville - the back way - and stopped at numbers of places along the way - detailing how the sauces changed as you moved up the line! - I am from the Pit Cooked Pee Dee area and had never even heard of mustard sauces until I moved to Columbia. I recently attended a Church PicNic in Eastern NC - all vinegar - but with a few additional sauces - no mustard - but then - My lowcountry family - (some of those very first Dorchester County Germans (Shuler) - that German enough for you? - They have every reunion catered by Sweatman's - And OH it is so very very good - Everyone takes home a plate! Maybe I should smuggle one of those mustard based BBQ sandwiches on the plane in a sealed container - I think people would be jumping over the seat because of that overwhelming smell! - Needless to say - I am totally excited about the emerging Food Culture in Our New South!

The SC mustard based sauces have an interesting historical element - Many of the colonial immigrants were of German descent and consequently were addicted to their mustard - It is said that is why Central SC has mustard based barbecue. Interesting history on the geography of BBQ in the South

Smoked a pork butt, shredded it and put it on a potato roll & added this sauce--AH-MAZING. The tang cut through the rich pork & added depth. It's definitely hot but it was perfect for this use. Will use this again & again. Thanks for sharing!

Yikes! I love spicy food but this had real heat. I only put in one teaspoon of red pepper flakes and it was still too hot for my fellow spice-lovin' guests. After a generous helping of honey and some white vinegar it was ready to shine. Great recipe, just adjust for heat. Bravo for a great alternative to more common BBQ Sauce recipes!

There should be some honey in this sauce!!!!! Even though the mustard has vinegar, a bit of vinegar and some apple juice also enhances "Carolina Gold" BBQ sauce. I grew up on it in South Carolina; love it!